Under The Son Farm: 2020

Thursday, October 29, 2020

2020 Breeding Line Ups

Breeding groups were made in early Oct for March/April 2021 lambs. This year, ALL rams used were purebred, crimpy, soft, fine fleeced Traditional 1927® Shetlands of top quality. No crossing groups this year. So, there should be lots of purebred lambs to chose from next year. If you see something that you may have interest in, please drop me a line and/or a deposit! First come, first served.

I breed for top quality, fine fleeced Shetlands with crimpy, soft, dense fleeces on all of the sheep in my flock, going on nearly 2 decades of breeding with diverse colors and patterns. Productive, milky, wide loins, great structure and breed type are hallmarks in my flock, along with fabulous fleeces. Good temperaments are also bred for. Something for everyone can be had here.

UTS Dawson's group

Dawson is a medium dark grey katmoget (Ab/Aa, B/b, krunet). He is the sire and grandsire of champions and reserve champions. His group is the biggest with 10 ewes. Hoping to keep a ram lamb or two and some ewe lambs from him.

His group consists of Mascarpone (white), Moda (white), Cascade (moorit/fawn), Teton (fawn kat), Eva (white), Coso (grey), Kaffe Fassett (spotted grey kat), Moda (black krunet), Toya (moorit), and Topaz (fawn kat)

UTS Troy's group
Troy is the 2019 WSWF reserve champion ram (as a ram lamb). Troy is a dark blue grey katmoget (Ab/Aa, B/b). His lambs from this year were fabulous. Some of the ewes are repeat breedings.

His group consists of Galaxy (rose mioget), Meira (moorit), Cerina (black - 2019 WSWF Champion ewe), Talledega (spotted grey kat), Windsong (fawn kat - 2018WSWF Supreme Champion), Tacoosh (shaela, 2016 WSWF Champion ewe), and Genevieve (emsket).

UTS Troy

Decided to take a quick video of him as he was checking out Dawson's group. He is growing up to be a tremendous ram.

UTS El Paso's group

El Paso is a white ram with modified genetics (he has a blue nose and has sired emskets). El Paso has sired ram lambs with great horns and very wide rears.

His group consists of Sirene (fawn, twin to WSWF Supreme Champion Stilton), Galena (mioget), Mingay (mioget), Chianti (emsket), and Moxahala (shaela).

UTS Cameron's group

Cameron is a spotted grey ram (B/b) and has retained a grey color in his dense fleece. Cam's lambs are always very nice and it is hard to not to want to keep them all.
His group consists of Mazda (black smirslet), Sekka (grey kat), Coolea (fawn kat), Fancy (white), Markoti (white), and Osage (dark grey kat).

UTS Pike

Pike is a yuglet sokket dark blue grey katmoget ram lamb. His group has mostly spotted ewes. Hoping for some flashy lambs with very fine fleeces like their sire.

UTS Pike's group

His group consists of Darby (grey kat), Murex (grey kat), Vivian (smirslet sokket grey kat), Maja (smirslet fawn kat), and Colla (spotted grey - mother of Cameron).

UTS Tonga

Tonga is a dark grey katmoget ram lamb who carries spots. Spots are also in some of the ewes in this group. Also hoping for very fine fleeces from this group.

His group consists of Patches (black yuglet), Cachet (fawn kat), Conde (grey), Moonwind (white), Merrimac (grey kat), and Sierra Nevada (fawn kat).

Welcome to Under The Son blog!

There are about 50 Shetland sheep on our farm during the winter months and over 100 with the lambs in the spring time. Most patterns along with a few spotted sheep are here on the farm. I specialize in breeding classic fine fleeced Shetlands that are the hallmark of the Shetland wool industry and have been for hundreds of years.

Blogs posted will be relevant to our Shetland sheep farm goals such as working towards a classic type fleece - a fine to very fine, dense, silky, lustrous, 3-6" Shetland fleece, raising conformational correct pure Shetlands and growthy Shetland cross market lambs, as well as all manner of Shetland fleece production through to the finished products.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter, crocheter, dyer, soaper and have done all manner of other crafty things such as basketry, beaded jewelry, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, etc.

Wool for sale includes raw fleece, washed fleece, rovings, spinning batts, quilt or comfortor batts, felt yardage, handspun yarns, millspun yarns, and finished knitted, woven, or felted goods such as fingerless gloves, purses, scarves, shawls, ponchos, ruanas, vests, jackets, and blankets.

Vist my Ravelry group for even more information. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fine-shetland-wool

About Shetland Sheep

Shetland sheep are a heritage breed dating back a thousand years or more and are related to Soay sheep. They have primitive characteristics such as a naturally short fluke shaped tail, wool that 'roos' or sheds in the springtime, small size, and fine bone. They are famous first and foremost for their fine, soft, naturally colored wool that is very lightweight and warm. This wool was one of the two pillars of the Shetland Island economy for centuries.

Shetlands, the 'kindly' (soft) wooled native breed of sheep, were preserved because the Shetland wool industry was facing extinction with the the infiltration of coarse long wooled big sheep on the island. Steps were taken, such as the writing of the breed standard and paid ram incentives, to ensure the existence of this rare native breed and the continued existence of the woolen industry that employed so many of the women of Shetland.

Garments made from breed standard 'kindly' Shetland wool can be next-to-the-skin soft scarves to warm, soft outerwear sweaters. It is a fine wool with crimp (called 'wave' by the writers of the standard) and is normally used for knitted garments with good memory such as stockings/socks, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, under clothing, and the famous Shetland sweaters. It is a 'longish' wool, around 3-6", depending on crimp. It is sometimes good for felting and some fleeces are very silky. As it is a heritage breed, there is quite a bit of diverseness found within the breed, especially in the colors and patterns that run the gamut of browns, blacks, greys, and white as well as spots and patterns. All in all, it is one of the premier handspinning fleeces to be found.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."

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Thursday, October 29, 2020

2020 Breeding Line Ups

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